Chapter 1

My sex life slowed way down after the bookstore closed. It was partly due to demands at the job corps center. But mostly it was due to my own shyness. Matt had told me where to go to pick up men but I was too shy to try it out. I had finally gotten permission to get a summer job to make some extra money. I hunted all over town but couldn't find a job. At 17 the only jobs available to me were fast food and other minimum wage jobs. But of course the locals locked them up fast. I decided to try the arcade and see if I could get some part time work there. I had not been in the arcade in weeks. I walked in and to my surprise Matt was behind the counter. We chatted a while about what had been happening in our lives. I asked him about part time work and he said he was sorry but they had no openings. We chatted some more and Matt asked me what kind of hours I was looking for. I told him I had to have nights and weekends because I still had classes during the day. He thought for a minute and said, "I might know of something." He said, "It's not glamorous or high paying. But that the tips are where I could make my money if the customer's really liked me. If you are interested I will have to call later tonight." I told him that I was interested. Then he asked if I could stop by tomorrow evening about 7pm. I said I would be there.

When I arrived the next day Matt gave me a note and directions. He told me that he talked to his friend Tom and that I had an interview as soon as I could get there. I looked at the directions and quickly realized it was the bathhouse that Matt told me about earlier. Matt told me to tell the doorman my name and that I had an appointment with Tom. It was only a few blocks away so I walked over. When I got to the bathhouse the doorman directed me to Tom's office. I knocked and a voice told me to come in.

The office was fairly large. There was a couch along one wall and a bar across another. In the center of the room was a big desk. In front of the desk were two chairs and sitting in a chair behind the desk was Tom. Tom was in his early to mid 50's, thinning hair and a small mustache. He looked to be of average height and slender. I really couldn't tell much while he was sitting behind his desk. I gave him Matt's note and he offered me a chair. I sat as he read Matt's note then looked me over. He asked me if Matt had told me anything about the job. I told him that Matt had not said anything other than it was evening and weekend work.

Tom said that he would explain the job to me and then if I was still interested have me fill out an application. He explained that the official title was towel room attendant but it was really a gopher job. I would deliver towels, water and whatever else the customers wanted to the various rooms. The club had saunas, hot tubs, whirlpool baths, roman baths, private massage rooms and steam rooms. And the main feature of the club was a big communal bath in the main room. My duties would vary depending on the night. How popular I was with the customers. I might be in the locker room handing out locker keys or I might be delivering towels and such to customers. He explained that the hourly wage was $3.25 an hour. The evening shifts were from 8pm until 1am. The Friday and Saturday night shifts were from 6pm until 3am. Sundays only a few people got to work and that was based on performance. Sundays paid $5 an hour and the shift ran from noon until midnight. He warned me that the competition for Sunday shifts was fierce.

He asked if I was interested in the job. I told him that I was very interested in the job. He took me to a room with a table and chairs. He gave me a pencil and an application and told me to bring them back to his office when I finished. It was a pretty basic application just name, address, and date of birth, work history, special skills and references. I filled it out except the special skills and references. I left those blank the first because I didn't know what special skills I had that would be of benefit to the job. The reference section I left blank. The only reference I had was Matt and I didn't even know his last name.

I took the application back to Tom. As he read it over he asked me questions. When he read my date of birth he shook his head. He told me that the law required that I be 21 to work in the bathhouse. And according to my application I was only 17. I started to get up to leave. I thanked Tom for his time and he said to relax. He took the pencil and changed the date so that I was 21. He said "if anybody asks you told me you were 21, right?" I quickly agreed. When he came to the references he asked if I wanted to use matt as a reference. I told him I would except I don't even know Matt's last name. He chuckled and said, "No sweat I do. Matt used to work here when he was younger." After he finished my application he said, "It looks good. We will see how you look in a uniform and go from there."